Software strategy: CAD options for AEC: low-cost software targets residential design

CADalyst, Feb, 2005 by H. Edward Goldberg

LAST MONTH'S COLUMN (http://aec.cadalyst.com/105 aec.htm) discussed the major BIM (building information modeling) software packages in the AEC arena. This month we focus on a range of other CAD products for AEC design. Many of these products have the advantages of lower prices and less complexity, which makes them easier to learn and to operate.

After twenty-plus years of use, all CAD products for the AEC industry have matured. Today, creditable residential CAD products selling for less than $200 and capable of creating 3D views and construction documents are found at the local computer store. For the design professional or builder who needs a tool for smaller commercial projects or residential work, several excellent packages are available at good price points. Among these are Chief Architect, SoftPlan, ArchT, IntelliCAD, DataCAD, ArrisCAD and AutoCAD LT. All these Windows-based products have a long history of successful use in the AEC industry, and with the exception of AutoCAD LT, are capable of creating rendered 3D views. Macintosh fans will want to check out the soon-to-be-released VersaCAD 2005 for OS X (see p. 12).

Each product is aimed at a distinctive market niche. SoftPlan and Chief Architect target the residential market, although they can be used for light commercial. ArrisCAD and DataCAD are full-fledged CAD programs for residential and commercial buildings of all sizes.

* Autodsys IntelliCAD, ArchT for AutoCAD and IntelliCAD

www.autodsys.com

ArchT ($799) is an architectural software package for IntelliCAD that also works with AutoCAD 2000-2005 and all platforms based on those versions, including Architectural Desktop, Building Systems and Map. An add-on product, ArchT provides AEC-specific functionality such as 2D production drafting utilities, style-based design features and customizable records. It also provides dynamic block and layer control and 3D modeling tools.

ArchT allows designers to work in 2D or 3D, and rendering materials may be preassigned to objects so that once a model is built it can be easily rendered in IntelliCAD, AutoCAD or AccuRender. ArchT comes with more than 7,000 2D and 3D blocks that are ready for rendering. Styles allow the user to create libraries of unique walls, doors, windows and other building objects that may be used over and over again. Changing a style changes all objects that use that style. Reporting features can generate custom schedules of any objects in the model. Door schedules, window schedules, finish schedules and area usage reports can be produced, and data can be attached to any object to create custom reports with user-defined formulas. Keynoting is also a standard feature. ArchT includes walls that automatically clean up the intersections or break when a door or window is inserted. Time-saving routines handle column grids, area bubbles, parking stalls and managing multilevel designs.

IntelliCAD 5 ($149) was designed as a low-cost AutoCAD alternative that supports DWG files as well as menu files, script files, shape files, text fonts, hatch patterns, linetypes, LISP programs, SDS/C++ programs and VBA programs. It includes a number of new features and enhancements such as tabbed layouts, entity properties toolbar, dimension styles toolbar, lineweight support, and compatibility with AutoCAD 2004-2005 DWG file format. It also supports drawing recovery for corrupted files, creation of DWF (design web format) files, and draw order to control how entities overlap. The block navigator, used to organize blocks and commands into categories, comes with hundreds of blocks plus samples of thousands more that are available in optional libraries. This tool allows users to visually browse thousands of blocks and organize them into plan, elevation or 3D view and insert them at a specified elevation or scale. The Pro & Pro Plus IntelliCAD versions ($249 and $349, respectively) feature photorealistic rendering. Users can choose from preset lighting effects, surface materials and backgrounds or create custom materials.

* Chief Architect

www.chiefarchitect.com

Chief Architect (figure 1) has focused for the past ten years on making its program easy to use for the building professional. In a manner similar to that found in a BIM software solution, users place and arrange walls, windows, doors and architectural objects from a library of more than 8,500 items to create a 3D model. This solution can create full working drawings with detailed plans, layouts and CAD details. Complete dimension tools support one-click automatic dimensions as well as manual dimensions. For space planning, a unique Build House wizard aids users in working with clients. Chief Architect also comes with an ICC Residential Code Checklist to check designs against a comprehensive list of standard building codes. A Symbol Import wizard handles import of 2D and 3D DWG/DXF objects, and a CAD-to-Wall import function allows easy interchange between other CAD systems.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Because this is a builder-centric program, it provides excellent residential framing capabilities. Framing items each have individually editable materials. The program supports automatic blocking and bracing (linear or staggered) for walls, joists and rafters, and platform edges can have materials applied to them. There is a new post-and-beam framing tool capability, and I-joists are now included.